Awesome Animal Fact - Origin of Dogs

Did you know dogs probably diverged from wolves before being domesticated by humans? The gray wolf (Canis lupus) exists today, and it was long assumed that modern dogs came directly from the gray wolf. However, DNA analysis suggests that modern dogs came from an ancestor (now extinct) of the gray wolf.

There is some disagreement on when dogs diverged from wolves. Some evidence suggests it could have happened as long ago as 140,000 years. If so, dogs were definitely already a different species from the gray wolf when humans first began domesticating them.

Regardless of whether the dog was already a separate species, this is a fascinating story. One thing we still aren't sure about is, did humans intentionally bring dogs (or wolves) into their camps, or did the dogs (or wolves) come to humans for easier access to food? We may never know whether it was the humans or the dogs that made the first move, but we do know the results significantly changed human history.

DNA comparisons show that human domestication of the ancestors of modern dogs took place in eastern Asia, probably in China (note: another study suggests this may have happened in Europe). The dog was the first species humans domesticated (and the only large carnivore ever domesticated). After the relationship between humans and dogs became firmly established, dogs continued following humans, thus spreading across Asia and Europe, and eventually across the Bering Strait into North America and then into South America.

What about the archaeological record? Well, there are dig sites, in which the dating is disputed by experts, showing remains of dogs and humans together as long ago as 30,000 years. Then there are numerous uncontested finds from about 14,000 years ago onward. The earliest undisputed find is in Bonn-Oberkassel, Germany—the remains of a dog that was clearly not a local wolf buried beside humans 14,200 years ago. As another example, in Israel there is a burial site with a woman actually holding a puppy. This site is dated at 12,000 years old.

Obviously, since that time, dogs have been artificially bred into hundreds of different sizes, shapes, and colors, and they've had a huge influence on human civilization.

Below is a gray wolf. Keep in mind, the wild ancestor of modern dogs is possibly an extinct ancestor of the gray wolf, not the gray wolf itself. Another way to say this is: modern dogs and gray wolves have a common ancestor.

Photo Credits:
- Gray Wolf - DepositPhotos